scholarly journals Horizontal electric fields from flow of auroral O<sup>+</sup>(<sup>2</sup>P) ions at sub-second resolution

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam Tuttle ◽  
Betty Lanchester ◽  
Bjoern Gustavsson ◽  
Daniel Whiter ◽  
Nickolay Ivchenko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Velocity ◽  
Electric Fields ◽  
Continuity Equation ◽  
Accurate Estimate ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Time Step ◽  
Average Value ◽  
Metastable Ions ◽  
3D Volume ◽  
Magnetic Zenith

Abstract. Electric fields are a ubiquitous feature of the ionosphere and are intimately linked with aurora through particle precipitation and field-aligned currents. We present a unique method to estimate ionospheric electric fields beside a dynamic auroral feature by solving the continuity equation for the metastable O+(2P) ions, which emit as they move under the influence of electric fields during their 5 s lifetime. Simultaneous measurements of emission at 732.0 nm (from the O+(2P) ions), and prompt emissions at 673.0 nm (N2) and 777.4 nm (O), all at high spatial (100 m) and temporal (0.05 s) resolution, are used in the solution of the continuity equation, which gives the dynamic changes of the O+ ion population at all heights in a 3D volume close to the magnetic zenith. Perspective effects are taken into account by a new geometric method, which is based on an accurate estimate of the magnetic zenith position. The emissions resulting from the metastable ions are converted to brightness images by projecting onto the plane of the ground, which are compared with the measured images. The flow velocity of the ions is a free parameter in the solution of the continuity equation; the value that minimizes the difference between the modelled and observed images is the extracted flow velocity at each time step. We demonstrate the method with an example event during the passage of a brightening arc feature, lasting about 10 s, in which the inferred electric fields vary between 20 and 120 mV m−1. These inferred electric fields are compared with SuperDARN measurements, which have an average value of 30 mV m−1. An excellent agreement is found in magnitude and direction of the background electric field; an increase in magnitude during the brightening of the arc feature supports theories of small scale auroral arc formation and electrodynamics.

scholarly journals Horizontal electric fields from flow of auroral O<sup>+</sup>(<sup>2</sup>P) ions at sub-second temporal resolution

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 845-859
Author(s):  
Sam Tuttle ◽  
Betty Lanchester ◽  
Björn Gustavsson ◽  
Daniel Whiter ◽  
Nickolay Ivchenko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Velocity ◽  
Electric Fields ◽  
Temporal Resolution ◽  
Continuity Equation ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Accurate Estimate ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Time Step ◽  
Theoretical Understanding ◽  
Magnetic Zenith

Abstract. Electric fields are a ubiquitous feature of the ionosphere and are intimately linked with aurora through particle precipitation and field-aligned currents. They exhibit order-of-magnitude changes on temporal and spatial scales of seconds and kilometres respectively which are not easy to measure; knowing their true magnitude and temporal variability is important for a theoretical understanding of auroral processes. We present a unique method to estimate ionospheric electric fields in the region close to (kilometre scale) a dynamic auroral arc by solving the continuity equation for the metastable O+(2P) ions, which emit as they move under the influence of electric fields during their 5 s lifetime. The main advantage of this optical method is the increase in temporal resolution over other methods such as ground-based radars. Simultaneous measurements of emission at 732.0 nm (from the O+(2P) ions) and prompt emissions at 673.0 nm (N2) and 777.4 nm (O), all at high spatial (100 m) and temporal (0.05 s) resolution, are used in the solution of the continuity equation, which gives the dynamic changes of the O+ ion population at all heights in a 3D volume close to the magnetic zenith. Perspective effects are taken into account by a new geometric method, which is based on an accurate estimate of the magnetic zenith position. The emissions resulting from the metastable ions are converted to brightness images by projecting them onto the plane of the ground, and the projected images are then compared with the measured images. The flow velocity of the ions is a free parameter in the solution of the continuity equation; the value that minimises the difference between the modelled and observed images is the extracted flow velocity at each time step. We demonstrate the method with an example event during the passage of a brightening arc feature, lasting about 10 s, in which the inferred electric fields vary between 20 and 120 mV m−1. These inferred electric fields are compared with SuperDARN measurements, which have an average value of 30 mV m−1. An excellent agreement is found in the magnitude and direction of the background electric field; an increase in magnitude during the brightening of the arc feature supports theories of small-scale auroral arc formation and electrodynamics.

scholarly journals Computational Geometry-Based Surface Reconstruction for Volume Estimation: A Case Study on Magnitude-Frequency Relations for a LiDAR-Derived Rockfall Inventory

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 157
Author(s):  
Paul-Mark DiFrancesco ◽  
David A. Bonneau ◽  
D. Jean Hutchinson
Keyword(s):  
Computational Geometry ◽  
Surface Reconstruction ◽  
Power Law ◽  
Point Cloud ◽  
Point Clouds ◽  
Volume Estimation ◽  
Estimation Methods ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Reconstruction Methods ◽  
3D Volume

Key to the quantification of rockfall hazard is an understanding of its magnitude-frequency behaviour. Remote sensing has allowed for the accurate observation of rockfall activity, with methods being developed for digitally assembling the monitored occurrences into a rockfall database. A prevalent challenge is the quantification of rockfall volume, whilst fully considering the 3D information stored in each of the extracted rockfall point clouds. Surface reconstruction is utilized to construct a 3D digital surface representation, allowing for an estimation of the volume of space that a point cloud occupies. Given various point cloud imperfections, it is difficult for methods to generate digital surface representations of rockfall with detailed geometry and correct topology. In this study, we tested four different computational geometry-based surface reconstruction methods on a database comprised of 3668 rockfalls. The database was derived from a 5-year LiDAR monitoring campaign of an active rock slope in interior British Columbia, Canada. Each method resulted in a different magnitude-frequency distribution of rockfall. The implications of 3D volume estimation were demonstrated utilizing surface mesh visualization, cumulative magnitude-frequency plots, power-law fitting, and projected annual frequencies of rockfall occurrence. The 3D volume estimation methods caused a notable shift in the magnitude-frequency relations, while the power-law scaling parameters remained relatively similar. We determined that the optimal 3D volume calculation approach is a hybrid methodology comprised of the Power Crust reconstruction and the Alpha Solid reconstruction. The Alpha Solid approach is to be used on small-scale point clouds, characterized with high curvatures relative to their sampling density, which challenge the Power Crust sampling assumptions.

scholarly journals A two-dimensional glacier–fjord coupled model applied to estimate submarine melt rates and front position changes of Hansbreen, Svalbard

2018 ◽  
Vol 64 (247) ◽  
pp. 745-758 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. DE ANDRÉS ◽  
J. OTERO ◽  
F. NAVARRO ◽  
A. PROMIŃSKA ◽  
J. LAPAZARAN ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Coupled Model ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Time Step ◽  
Software Packages ◽  
Front Position ◽  
Circulation Patterns ◽  
Glacier Front ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Frontal Ablation

ABSTRACTWe have developed a two-dimensional coupled glacier–fjord model, which runs automatically using Elmer/Ice and MITgcm software packages, to investigate the magnitude of submarine melting along a vertical glacier front and its potential influence on glacier calving and front position changes. We apply this model to simulate the Hansbreen glacier–Hansbukta proglacial–fjord system, Southwestern Svalbard, during the summer of 2010. The limited size of this system allows us to resolve some of the small-scale processes occurring at the ice–ocean interface in the fjord model, using a 0.5 s time step and a 1 m grid resolution near the glacier front. We use a rich set of field data spanning the period April–August 2010 to constrain, calibrate and validate the model. We adjust circulation patterns in the fjord by tuning subglacial discharge inputs that best match observed temperature while maintaining a compromise with observed salinity, suggesting a convectively driven circulation in Hansbukta. The results of our model simulations suggest that both submarine melting and crevasse hydrofracturing exert important controls on seasonal frontal ablation, with submarine melting alone not being sufficient for reproducing the observed patterns of seasonal retreat. Both submarine melt and calving rates accumulated along the entire simulation period are of the same order of magnitude, ~100 m. The model results also indicate that changes in submarine melting lag meltwater production by 4–5 weeks, which suggests that it may take up to a month for meltwater to traverse the englacial and subglacial drainage network.

Fluttering Amplitude Amplification by Utilizing Flapping Moment in Flutter-Driven Triboelectric Nanogenerator

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Zhang ◽  
Ka Chung Chan ◽  
Sau Chung Fu ◽  
Christopher Yu Hang Chao
Keyword(s):  
Flow Velocity ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Aerodynamic Force ◽  
Short Circuit ◽  
Short Circuit Current ◽  
Open Circuit ◽  
Energy Output ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Triboelectric Nanogenerator ◽  
Peak Value

Abstract Flutter-driven triboelectric nanogenerator (FTENG) is one of the most promising methods to harvest small-scale wind energy. Wind causes self-fluttering motion of a flag in the FTENG to generate electricity by contact electrification. A lot of studies have been conducted to enhance the energy output by increasing the surface charge density of the flag, but only a few researches tried to increase the converting efficiency by enlarging the flapping motion. In this study, we show that by simply replacing the rigid flagpole in the FTENG with a flexible flagpole, the energy conversion efficiency is augmented and the energy output is enhanced. It is found that when the flag flutters, the flagpole also undergoes aerodynamic force. The lift force generated from the fluttering flag applies a periodic rotational moment on the flagpole, and causes the flagpole to vibrate. The vibration of the flagpole, in turn amplifies the flutter of the flag. Both the fluttering dynamics of the flags with rigid and flexible flagpoles have been recorded by a high-speed camera. When the flag was held by a flexible flagpole, the fluttering amplitude and the contact area between the flag and electrode plates were increased. The energy enhancement increased as the flow velocity increased and the enhancement can be 113 times when the wind velocity is 10 m/s. The thickness of the flagpole was investigated. An optimal output of open-circuit voltage reaching 1128 V (peak-to-peak value) or 312.40 V (RMS value), and short-circuit current reaching 127.67 μA (peak-to-peak value) or 31.99 μA (RMS value) at 12.21 m/s flow velocity was achieved. This research presents a simple design to enhance the output performance of an FTENG by amplifying the fluttering amplitude. Based on the performance obtained in this study, the improved FTENG has the potential to apply in a smart city for driving electronic devices as a power source for IoT applications.

scholarly journals Acoustic Streaming and Its Applications

Fluids ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junru Wu
Keyword(s):  
Shear Stress ◽  
Acoustic Wave ◽  
Flow Velocity ◽  
Velocity Gradient ◽  
Oscillatory Flow ◽  
Acoustic Streaming ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Solid Boundary ◽  
Streaming Velocity ◽  
A Cell

Broadly speaking, acoustic streaming is generated by a nonlinear acoustic wave with a finite amplitude propagating in a viscid fluid. The fluid volume elements of molecules, d V , are forced to oscillate at the same frequency as the incident acoustic wave. Due to the nature of the nonlinearity of the acoustic wave, the second-order effect of the wave propagation produces a time-independent flow velocity (DC flow) in addition to a regular oscillatory motion (AC motion). Consequently, the fluid moves in a certain direction, which depends on the geometry of the system and its boundary conditions, as well as the parameters of the incident acoustic wave. The small scale acoustic streaming in a fluid is called “microstreaming”. When it is associated with acoustic cavitation, which refers to activities of microbubbles in a general sense, it is often called “cavitation microstreaming”. For biomedical applications, microstreaming usually takes place in a boundary layer at proximity of a solid boundary, which could be the membrane of a cell or walls of a container. To satisfy the non-slip boundary condition, the flow motion at a solid boundary should be zero. The magnitude of the DC acoustic streaming velocity, as well as the oscillatory flow velocity near the boundary, drop drastically; consequently, the acoustic streaming velocity generates a DC velocity gradient and the oscillatory flow velocity gradient produces an AC velocity gradient; they both will produce shear stress. The former is a DC shear stress and the latter is AC shear stress. It was observed the DC shear stress plays the dominant role, which may enhance the permeability of molecules passing through the cell membrane. This phenomenon is called “sonoporation”. Sonoporation has shown a great potential for the targeted delivery of DNA, drugs, and macromolecules into a cell. Acoustic streaming has also been used in fluid mixing, boundary cooling, and many other applications. The goal of this work is to give a brief review of the basic mathematical theory for acoustic microstreaming related to the aforementioned applications. The emphasis will be on its applications in biotechnology.

scholarly journals Method of characteristics in spherical geometry applied to a Harang-discontinuity situation

1998 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 413-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
O. Amm
Keyword(s):  
Electric Field ◽  
Electric Fields ◽  
Method Of Characteristics ◽  
Geomagnetic Latitude ◽  
Spherical Geometry ◽  
Magnetic Disturbance ◽  
Time Step ◽  
Ratio Distribution ◽  
Hall Conductance ◽  
Primary Output

Abstract. The method of characteristics for obtaining spatial distributions of ionospheric electrodynamic parameters from ground-based spatial observations of the ground magnetic disturbance and the ionospheric electric field is presented in spherical geometry. The method includes tools for separation of the external magnetic disturbance, its continuation to the ionosphere, and calculation of ionospheric equivalent currents. Based on these and the measured electric field distribution, the ionospheric Hall conductance is calculated as the primary output of the method. By estimating the Hall- to-Pedersen conductance ratio distribution, the remaining ionospheric electrodynamic parameters are inferred. The method does not assume ∇×E=0 to allow to study time-dependent situations. The application of this method to a Harang discontinuity (HD) situation on 27 October 1977, 17:39 UT, reveals the following: (1) The conductances at and north of the HD are clearly reduced as compared to the eastern electrojet region. (2) Plasma flow across the HD is observed, but almost all horizontal current is diverted into upward-flowing field-aligned currents (FACs) there. (3) The FACs connected to the Hall currents form a latitudinally aligned sheet with a magnitude peak between the electrically and magnetically defined HD, where break-up arcs are often observed. Their magnitude is larger than that of the more uniformly distributed FACs connected to the Pedersen currents. They also cause the southward shift of the magnetically defined HD with respect to the electrically defined one. (4) A tilt of the HD with respect to geomagnetic latitude as proposed by an earlier study on the same event, which used composite vector plot technique, and by statistical studies, is not observed in our single time-step analysis.Key words. Ionosphere · Electric fields and currents · Instruments and techniques · Magnetospheric physics · Current systems

scholarly journals A journey of a thousand miles begins with one small step – human agency, hydrological processes and time in socio-hydrology

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 14265-14304 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. W. Ertsen ◽  
J. T. Murphy ◽  
L. E. Purdue ◽  
T. Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Action ◽  
Human Agency ◽  
The Other ◽  
Social Structures ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Small Step ◽  
Time Step ◽  
Human Decision ◽  
Day To Day Operations

Abstract. When simulating social action in modeling efforts, as in socio-hydrology, an issue of obvious importance is how to ensure that social action by human agents is well-represented in the analysis and the model. Generally, human decision-making is either modeled on a yearly basis or lumped together as collective social structures. Both responses are problematic, as human decision making is more complex and organizations are the result of human agency and cannot be used as explanatory forces. A way out of the dilemma how to include human agency is to go to the largest societal and environmental clustering possible: society itself and climate, with time steps of years or decades. In the paper, the other way out is developed: to face human agency squarely, and direct the modeling approach to the human agency of individuals and couple this with the lowest appropriate hydrological level and time step. This approach is supported theoretically by the work of Bruno Latour, the French sociologist and philosopher. We discuss irrigation archaeology, as it is in this discipline that the issues of scale and explanatory force are well discussed. The issue is not just what scale to use: it is what scale matters. We argue that understanding the arrangements that permitted the management of irrigation over centuries, requires modeling and understanding the small-scale, day-to-day operations and personal interactions upon which they were built. This effort, however, must be informed by the longer-term dynamics as these provide the context within which human agency, is acted out.

Experimental Testing and Numerical Modeling of Small-Scale Boat With Drag-Reducing Air-Cavity System

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey M. Collins ◽  
Phillip R. Whitworth ◽  
Konstantin I. Matveev
Keyword(s):  
Adaptive Mesh Refinement ◽  
Experimental Testing ◽  
Hydrodynamic Performance ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Video Monitor ◽  
Data Logger ◽  
Time Step ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Air Cavity ◽  
Air Supply

Abstract Hydrodynamic performance of ships can be greatly improved by the formation of air cavities under ship bottom with the purpose to decrease water friction on the hull surface. The air-cavity ships using this type of drag reduction are usually designed for and typically effective only in a relatively narrow range of speeds and hull attitudes and sufficient rates of air supply to the cavity. To investigate the behavior of a small-scale air-cavity boat operating under both favorable and detrimental loading and speed conditions, a remotely controlled model hull was equipped with a data acquisition system, video camera and onboard sensors to measure air-cavity characteristics, air supply rate and the boat speed, thrust and trim in operations on open-water reservoirs. These measurements were captured by a data logger and also wirelessly transmitted to a ground station and video monitor. The experimental air-cavity boat was tested in a range of speeds corresponding to length Froude numbers between 0.17 and 0.5 under three loading conditions, resulting in near zero trim and significant bow-up and bow-down trim angles at rest. Reduced cavity size and significantly increased drag occurred when operating at higher speeds, especially in the bow-up trim condition. The other objective of this study was to determine whether computational fluid dynamics simulations can adequately capture the recorded behavior of the boat and air cavity. A computational software Star-CCM+ was utilized with the VOF method employed for multi-phase flow, RANS approach for turbulence modeling, and economical mesh settings with refinements in the cavity region and near free surface. Upon conducting the mesh verification study, several experimental conditions were simulated, and approximate agreement with measured test data was found. Adaptive mesh refinement and time step controls were also applied to compare results with those obtained on the user-generated mesh. Adaptive controls improved resolution of complex shedding patterns from the air cavity but had little impact on overall results. The presented here experimental approach and obtained results indicate that both outdoor experimentation and computationally inexpensive modeling can be used in the process of developing air-cavity systems for ship hulls.

scholarly journals Comparison of Two Single Stage Low-Pressure Rotary Lobe Expander Geometries in Terms of Operation

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 4512
Author(s):  
Michalina Kurkus-Gruszecka ◽  
Piotr Krawczyk
Keyword(s):  
Cfd Simulation ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
Electric Energy ◽  
Low Pressure ◽  
Single Stage ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Operational Parameters ◽  
Data Simulation ◽  
Time Step ◽  
Geometry Model

In the article the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation and calculated operational parameters of the single stage low-pressure rotary lobe expander compared with the values obtained from a different geometry simulation are presented. Low-pressure rotary lobe expanders are rotary engines that use a compressed gas to produce mechanical energy, which in turn can be converted into another form, i.e., electric energy. Currently, expanders are used in narrow areas, but have a large potential in the energy production from gases of low thermodynamic parameters. The first geometry model was designed on the basis of an industrial device and validated with the empirical data. Simulation of the second geometry was made based on a validated model in order to estimate the operational parameters of the device. The CFD model included the transient simulation of compressible fluid in the geometry changing over time and the rotors motion around two rotation axes. The numerical model was implemented in ANSYS CFX software. After obtaining simulation results in the form of parameters monitors for each time step, a number of calculations were performed using a written code analysing the CFD program output files. The article presents the calculation results and the geometries comparison in terms of work efficiency. The research indicated that the construction of the device on a small scale could cause a significant decrease in the aforementioned parameter, caused by medium leaks in the expander clearances.

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